CAMPAIGN ’96: PREVIEW OF HEALTH-RELATED BALLOT INITIATIVES
The following is a sampling of health initiatives that willThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
appear on the November ballots in selected states. For
additional details, consult our recently released Fall 1996 50-
State Report (see page 11). This overview contains initiatives
certified as of September 12:
ARIZONA: Healthy Arizona (PROPOSITION 203) is designed to
add 150,000 to 180,000 people to the state's Medicaid managed
care system, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.
"Healthy Workers," the first part of the initiative, would
increase the number of managed care enrollees by raising the
qualifying income level. The second part, known as "Healthy
Tomorrow," would restore funding to programs such as WIC, rural
health centers and research, which were cut during the last two
years.
CALIFORNIA: California's "Patient Protection Act," or
PROPOSITION 216, includes ten initiatives. It would end "gag"
clauses and protect the right of doctors to advocate for
patients; prohibit insurance companies from financially rewarding
providers who deny care to patients; ensure that treatment is
determined by medical providers and require a second opinion and
documentation for patients who are denied care; require safe
staffing levels at all health care facilities; require public
disclosure of financial data, quality evaluations and consumer
complaints; protect the confidentiality of medical records;
prohibit insurers from demanding secret arbitration of
grievances; create an independent consumer association to monitor
profit motives so they do not compromise quality; assess fees
imposed by the managed care industry; tax some mergers and
executive salaries and establish penalties if a health system
closes a hospital; create a public health fund for emergency
services and disease prevention; and restrict unwarranted premium
increases. PROPOSITION 214, known as "Californians for Patient
Rights," closely resembles Proposition 216, but excludes the
merger tax and hospital closing penalties. Also on the ballot is
PROPOSITION 215, a measure to decriminalize marijuana use for
medicinal purposes.
IDAHO: A constitutional amendment, SJR 111, would permit
county, district and joint city/county hospitals to engage in
joint ventures, including shared services. Under the measure,
hospitals could collaborate to finance facilities and projects
and to help provide health care services. The proposed amendment
would allow public hospitals to extend credit and engage in risk-
sharing with state and local government entities.
OREGON: MEASURE 35 would restrict the bases on which
health care providers may receive payment. Permissible bases are
work performed, prearranged salary/benefit, hourly wages, or
expense reimbursement. Any other form of payment would result in
the loss of business and professional licenses. MEASURE 39 reads,
"Government, private entities cannot discriminate among health care
provider categories." The measure, which would ammend the state
constitution, forbids laws that restrain an individual'a choice
of providers rendering the same or similar services within their
scope of practice. MEASURE 44 would raise cigarette and
tobacco taxes, from 1.4 to 2.9 cents per cigarette. The majority
of revenue would go to the Oregon Health Plan and programs to
reduce tobacco use, with a portion earmarked for cities,
counties, the general fund and the transportation department.
The tobacco tax would increase product price from 35% to 65% of
the wholesale price. If approved, the tax is expected to raise
$75 million annually (Cassidy, 9/13).